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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28790682">Hold On, Switch Gears</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnoliafilms/pseuds/magnoliafilms'>magnoliafilms</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Robots &amp; Androids, But not really because Sicheng is an android and can't feel pain, Cyborgs, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Science Fiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:20:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,978</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28790682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnoliafilms/pseuds/magnoliafilms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a clattering behind him, and in the instant he looks back —only to find a stray cat— Sicheng manages to crash headfirst into a pile of scrap metal. <br/>At first glance, the worst part of the collision is the noise. Likely loud enough to alert the Poachers of his location, but common enough to blend with most other sounds in this part of the sector. <br/>Oh, how wrong he is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Challenge #4 — Awaken The World</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hold On, Switch Gears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Work Title from <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2oGsIyKXl56xIkzHlsvXiF?si=b87KlLqCRnq4f3rywSK2zA">Shadowtask</a> by PYLOT</p><p>I'm considering making this a series, so if you're interested, stick around 😗✌️</p><p>Also for Dream Lab Bingo Square: Technology!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sicheng had been on his feet for too long. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wheels</span>
  </em>
  <span>. On this occasion he should really say </span>
  <em>
    <span>wheels.)</span>
  </em>
  <span> But Kun had just finished the tune ups on this new set. He’d been waiting for a new set since his last pair wore out, and he’d been meaning to get back on the track for nearly a month now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re the neon kind, and with Sicheng’s considerably </span>
  <em>
    <span>older </span>
  </em>
  <span>set of ankle adapters, most new modifications had to be specially altered in order to latch on properly. (He’d learned his lesson after the skiing accident of ‘65.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this rate, his cycles weren’t the only things that were going to need polishing. He could hear it in the way his knee joints creak uncomfortably with every too-sharp turn. They could use a good bit of oil when he managed to find his way back to the warehouse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That being said, he isn’t entirely certain where he is. When he’d first left the warehouse, he’d only intended to go on a quick skate around Sector V. Though now, the most recognisable things are the lamp posts with their neon green lights.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pauses, which is perhaps a bad idea, but it’s the easiest way to access the small touch screen on the inside of his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flicks off a short message to Kun.</span>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>I think I took a wrong turn somewhere. I’ll retrace and get back as soon as I can.</span>
    </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Kun will worry, because it’s what he does. But Sicheng hopes that he trusts him enough not to send the rest of the sector on a retrieval mission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something clatters suddenly in the shadows behind where Sicheng has stopped, and he clasps a hand over the screen, shutting off the display. Usually he can pass as human, but today, with the presence of the enormous neon cycles, it’s a little harder to do so. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s the scraping sound of metal on metal, and something shifts. Sicheng narrows his eyes, and backs away as slowly as he can manage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little far from the Centreceleste, aren’t you, Droid?” The voice that speaks is gristly in all the wrong ways. And there’s something in the creature’s tone that sets off Sicheng’s alarm sensors. “What are you doing out this far? Don’t you know it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous</span>
  </em>
  <span> out here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng realises it before the thing can step out into the light. The sound of that lilting, almost robotic timbre. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A Cyborg.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng moves a split second before the thing can grab him, rolling away easily as he gets a proper read on the thing. He’s a beast of a man, but Sicheng can see that he’s clearly more metal than flesh. There’s crude staples pressed into the skin of his shoulders, holding on thick slabs of metal that likely conceal wires and other parts the Borg has likely stolen from other unsuspecting Droids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What’s perhaps the most startling is the dense scarring covering the right side of the Borg’s face, only made worse by the green sphere that sits where his eye should. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Borg’s voice turns sickly sweet as he turns to face Sicheng again, a smile plastered across his disfigured mouth. “Now come on, Darling. Don’t play hard to </span>
  <em>
    <span>get</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That grit comes out on the last syllable. The disconcerting smile turning foul for a second before he’s advancing towards Sicheng like one would a small animal. It’s then that Sicheng lets his emergency sensors take over. He bolts, significantly faster on wheels then he would have been on feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But even as he moves, he knows he’s at a disadvantage. The Borg clearly knows his way around this part of the sector, and even with the speed he gains from his wheels, one wrong turn could mean he’s cornered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he moves through narrow, empty streets, he can hear crashing behind him, and that empty grinding voice as the Borg chases after him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, one set of footsteps turns into two. He knew it was bound to happen eventually —Poacher Borgs like these ones often hung round in packs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tarseal beneath his wheels is slick with old rainwater, and he struggles to stay upright with each sharp maneuver. Glancing around one wall, he makes a split second decision to turn down an even smaller street lined with workshops and houses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t turn back to look for his attacker but instead keeps his eyes on the street in front of him. It’s empty, like all the other ones seemed to be in this part of the sector. But the lamp posts seem to have lights with a slight blue tint. He’s getting closer to the sector border. And he knows that if he crosses over the border, what little protection he retains in this sector will be useless with the Borg’s on the other side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a clattering behind him, and in the instant he looks back —only to find a stray cat— he manages to crash headfirst into a pile of scrap metal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first glance, the worst part of the collision is the noise. Likely loud enough to alert the Poachers of his location, but common enough to blend with most other sounds in this part of the sector. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He still has time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as he pushes himself up on his hands, it strikes him how bad the situation is. One of his cycles won’t turn, and the longer he tries, the more glaring the realisation becomes that the circuit leading to his entire ankle adapter has been severed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” He hisses, trying desperately to pull himself upright. If he can stick to the backroads, he might be able to get back to the warehouse on only one wheel. It only means that his chances of getting caught are greater. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was an idiot for forgetting his prosthetics. Though when he finally manages to free his leg from the pile, he’s in far worse shape than he’d thought. Almost all motor functions have been shut off —bar the occasional twitching of his knee. The ankle adapter has been warped in such a way that it will be ridiculously difficult to remove the cycle mod, and even harder to reshape so that anything else could be connected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His prosthetics would be as useless as his entire leg is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels like a sitting duck. Uneasy on his one remaining wheel. And he’s lucky that the fall didn’t take out any of his mainframe. He attempts to turn on the touchscreen on his arm, miraculously undamaged from the fall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shoots off another message to Kun.</span>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>I need help. [Location_Attached:SectorV]</span>
    </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Maybe it’s time to raise some alarm bells.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” A voice says. And Sicheng jumps backwards, his legs give out underneath him and he finds himself on the ground once more. At the startled reaction, the owner of the voice puts out his hands as though trying to calm a distressed animal, "Sorry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sorry.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I just heard the noise. Thought I'd check out what was going on."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stares up at the newcomer. He’s rounded. Fleshy and soft. Not angular and sharp like the other droids Sicheng usually surrounds himself with. And the gentle and cautious way he approaches Sicheng is startlingly human. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng focuses on him for a moment, let’s his sensors assess the danger of the situation, and when they come back negative, he glances down at his damaged leg. “No. Not really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some of the synthetic skin on his shin has been peeled away, revealing the wires and metal panelling underneath. He hopes he isn’t freaking this guy out when he’s the best chance Sicheng has at surviving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The touchscreen on his arm pings quietly and he clasps his hand over it. Silencing the alert.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He's not sure why he trusts the stranger, but the almost empathetic expression seems comforting in the strangest sense. And besides. If he’s going to end up as a pile of scrap metal for a human, he’d rather they had a pretty face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I— I hate to ask, seeing as we've just met and all. But do you think you could get me off the street? There's a couple of nasties looking for me, and I'd rather not be out here when they track me down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, yeah. Of course... Can you stand up?" The guy says extending a tentative hand. “I’m Jaehyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng knows that he'll make a fool of himself trying to pull himself upright again, and so he graciously takes Jaehyun's hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you." He says pulling himself upright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun glances at him, eyes sweeping down to properly assess the damage. “How about moving?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng balances precariously on his damaged leg, the cycle at the end makes a dangerous sounding noise as he spins the still rotating one on his otherside. While the functions are still relatively stable, Sicheng can feel the way the actual wheel has been damaged in the fall, making it harder to spin. If pressed, he could try to manage the remaining one, but if he can avoid it, he’ll do his best. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ll be fine—” he tries to say, but he’s cut off by Jaehyun shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not up three flights of stairs you won’t. I’ve got a workshop up there,” he tilts his head in the direction of one of the slightly less run down apartments on the street. “I can try and fix your adapters, but it’s gonna be one hell of a climb on your cycles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit.” Sicheng curses. He looks down at his legs, at the mangled state of his damaged cycle. There’s a loud crashing coming from a few corners away that sounds too close for comfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng must look increasingly wary, because Jaehyun looks at him sternly. “Is it going to be weird if I carry you there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng receives another pinging notification, but ignores it. “Do it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun is careful in the way that he scoops Sicheng up. Almost like he weighs nothing. (Benefits of an aluminum frame.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng does his best to keep his limbs out of the way when Jaehyun attempts to carry him through the door. The stairs are easy enough to manage. Wide enough that Sicheng doesn’t have to worry about scraping his cycles along the peeling wallpaper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jae?” A voice says as they begin to ascend the third flight of steps. There’s a man standing in the room that leads off from the second flight. He whistles lowly when he sees the pair of them. But Sicheng watches as his face drops when Jaehyun spins them around to reveal Sicheng’s mangled cycle. “Ah, sorry. Another repair job?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun nods, Sicheng feels oddly vulnerable with the pair of them looking at his legs like that. “This is… I’m sorry, I’ve just realised I don’t even know your name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sicheng.” He fills in helpfully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man tips his head towards Sicheng. “Lovely to meet you, I’m Johnny. Will you be staying for dinner?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng shakes his head. Kun will murder him if he stays any longer than necessary. He’s reminded of the unchecked messages on his wristpad. “Thank you though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny smiles at him. “That’s alright.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns away, and Jaehyun swiftly ascends the last lot of stairs. The top floor of the apartment is set out like an actual workshop. And Jaehyun sets him down momentarily, clearing off some of the tools spread out on the workbench before helping Sicheng to sit on top of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun moves down to assess the situation, lifting up Sicheng’s worse leg and turning it so he can inspect the state of the adapters. Sicheng simply watches as he moves, he’s got practiced hands and Sicheng can’t help but wonder where he learnt to work with droids. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He taps at Sicheng’s cycles. “I’m going to have to take these off if you want me to try and reshape the adapters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng shrugs, “Just do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might hurt a little.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng gives him a flat look, “I physically cannot feel pain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun shrugs, taking a pair of pliers to the twisted metal, pulling it back carefully, “I don’t know, Man. Some of the guys I’ve worked on before have been modified to experience it. Say they like the human-ness of it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng snorts. He knows a couple of guys at the warehouse who’ve had the installment. “My software won’t allow for that update. ‘M too old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun glances up at him, “I’m sorry if this is intrusive, but what model are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“DNG111. One of the last manufactured.” Sicheng smirks, glancing down at his creaky knee, at the state of his cycles and adapters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re a racing droid?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jaehyun says incredulously, even in his wonder, he keeps his hands moving, peeling back strip after strip of loose aluminium until he can get the cycle free. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng feels a little cornered. “I should be.” It’s a white lie, but Jaehyun is too distracted by his work that he doesn’t notice. He skips over it quickly. “But there were too many malfunctions. Wasn’t ethical to keep building us if we kept breaking down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Jaehyun hasn’t recognised him yet, he would rather keep it that way. It’s almost nice going under the radar. As Jaehyun moves onto the other adapter, he taps the display on his wrist pad. There’s a total of fifteen new notifications glaring back at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first seven are from Kun, asking about what’s going on, where he is now, what kind of help he needs. The rest are from other guys at the warehouse. </span>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>Dejun</b>
    <b><br/>
</b>
    <em>
      <span>Dude, you better start responding soon, Kun’s about to set the entire facility loose looking for you.</span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <b>Ten</b>
    <b><br/>
</b>
    <em>
      <span>What were you thinking going near the border?</span>
    </em>
    <em>
      <span><br/>
</span>
    </em>
    <em>
      <span>Do you have a damn death wish?</span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>I’m fine</span>
    </em>
    <span>, He writes, </span>
    <em>
      <span>Found a mechanic. It was just a couple of poachers. I’ll be back soon.</span>
    </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>“Everything alright?” Jaehyun asks. He’s managed to get both cycles off, and they’re lying side by side beside Sicheng’s legs on the workbench. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng nods, “Just some worried friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.” He pokes Sicheng’s damaged adapter. “The other one should be fine, but it’s going to be difficult to get anything back on this one. And I think I’ve got some spare cycles around here somewhere seeing as these one are pretty much busted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Kun was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>mad</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun moves away and begins to shuffle around in one of the cabinets. After a short moment he emerged with a victorious smile. In his hands were perhaps the fanciest set of cycles Sicheng had ever seen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They aren’t much,” Jaehyun says, almost bashfully, “But they were some prototypes I was working on for a client. But uh, if I remember correctly, they weren’t quite ‘his style.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Sicheng had the capacity to drool, he’d be doing so right now. The cycles are made of a shiny black material, and even the slightest movement sets them spinning, gliding smoothly around the focus. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You made these? They’re gorgeous.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Christ, I hope my ruddy adapters don’t destroy them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun laughs as he settles down again at the end of the bench. He focuses on Sicheng’s adapters first, trying to push them back into some semblance of a replica of the otherside. When he’s satisfied, he moves onto modifying the connectors on his cycles to fit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He starts with the good side when he puts them on. The cycle slides on easily and it fits like a damn glove. When it’s properly connected, the cycle lights up with hidden LEDs that shine a bright silver colour. Jaehyun grins proudly at his work before moving on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other side is a little harder to get on and requires some jostling about before it finally makes the clicking noise that means it’s on properly. But this time the wheel doesn’t glow. Just stays dull like the rest of Sicheng’s damaged leg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it a circuit issue?” Jaehyun asks, spinning the main rotating section of the cycle. “Should I take a look?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng nods, twisting his leg so that Jaehyun can access the panel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After peeling back the synthetic skin and opening the aluminum panel, Jaehyun finds the severed wire in a heartbeat. He shifts to find his soldering iron and mends it easily enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The LED flickers on, and Sicheng can see that proud smile in Jaehyun’s eyes once more when it holds and grows stronger. Sicheng lifts his leg, and smiles at the creaking sound in his knee as he focuses on spinning the cycle on his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satisfied, Jaehyun seals the panel, and tries to paste down the skin as best he can. “I don’t think I have any around here. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve absolutely done enough, Jaehyun.” Sicheng says, putting a hand out. “I can have someone at home mend it for me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng collects the broken cycles from the work table. Kun will be even more upset if his creations don’t make it home. Jaehyun leads the way down the stairs, giving him directions for getting out of this part of the sector. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny calls out a goodbye as they pass, but he doesn’t emerge from the second floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing by the door, Sicheng takes Jaehyun’s hands in his, tucking the cycles under his arm so he can use both of his own. “Really, Jaehyun. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You saved my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun laughs awkwardly, “I don’t know about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make it up to you.” Sicheng swears, and he means it. A debt like this won’t go unpaid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun waves to him as he speeds away from the door, the way out printed in Sicheng’s mind. A memory of a proud smile sitting next to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He savours the way home, knowing full well that Kun will —without a doubt— murder him when he makes it back to the warehouse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(He isn’t wrong.)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/thekeehorse">twt</a><br/>• <a href="https://curiouscat.me/ghoulhwa">cc</a><br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
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